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Show ~24 Why Chrifl jlandeth /ometimn ~t is f~11l ?f the comf~rts of rhe Holy Ghofi, full of joy;iand peace tn bchevmg, full ofltfe, and full of firength. B"t thirdly Some po!libly will ask, ' Why i< the L.rd plrafed to ftmd hrbind tlu waU j ometimu l I anf wer, 1. Sometimn he if driven thither by tbe fint of bu people. T~e Image of.Jea~oufie w~ich the Jews had let up, and the fuperfhno•Js abomtnattons wh1ch they had brought into the Temple, Ezrcb. ch. 8. 9· drave the Lord, the glory of the Lord, from one place to another, When corruptions prevail in a Church Chrill fiands .behind the Wall, he is of purer Eyes than to behold Iniquity. S.uperflirions will drive hi":' bo~ind the wall, Idolatry w1ll m~k~ hu~ go a~ar ?ff. And .as It IS wnh the Church in general, fo It IS w1th behevmg Souls 111 particular. The !ins of pJrticular Souls mlke Chrill oft-rimes as to them !land behind rhe w 11. his Love will not r~lfer him quite to leave and abmdon th:m· but his J ufiice, his Purity and Holinefs, makes him hide his face j~ fame meafure and ~and as it were behind the Wall, that they do not fee and en1oy h1m as at former times. 2 •. Sometimes he .choofeth this place, Out of the drpth1 of hit onm z~finzt: Wifc/om. The Soul finds that it is not with it as at former ·tlmes, It feeks for the A chan, .that hath caufed this changt in the cou~tena~c~ of C?od towards lt,but it can lind none above ordmary mlinmm.s: It may b~ the Lord is not driven behind the DaU by any part1cular preva~hng corruptions In the Church or in · t~Je Soul~ but IS pt~r~utng f?me wife purpofe by a dark difpenfatl~ n, try ml? the Sptnts ofhrs peopl_e what they will do, how they ~Jil be~r h1s. abfence, what they Will do to recover their CommuniOn ~lth lum, &c. I have done with the Explication of the Docb 1ne, I come to the Application ofit. It may be in this Difcourfe, I may be judged by fome of you to have. held a glafs before your face, wherein you have had yo<'r part.lcu.lar !late, .or the Hate of rhe Church reprefented 10 you. Chrrfi tt may be appears co forne of you this day as a friend behind a r:caU: we expect a glorious appearance of Chti!l in the Clouds when ~e fhall be c~ught ~- to meet him,' but there is fomerhing that. htnd~rs, there .s Chriit' behind a waU. We expect a more !}lonous time of linton of the Sai nts and Churches of GoJ, and lree~om for them; but we f, e ic not yet come, there again is Chnll behz?d.l' waU. Under our panicular mifeties, and fadncff~ s and a!HICl:wns, we expect-that Chrill .!hould :.ccording ro his Promifes WhJ Chri]l flamleth fometim~thehind the.waU: Promifes appear to deliver his people from all thei~ ~empt~rs, all , their Opprdfions, but he appr•r<th not; there agatn ts Chrtfi behind our waU. Let us uow only enquire what is our duty under fuch difpenfations: I will tell you as iliortly as I can. . 1 • In chc firll place, To be of g•~d comfort. It w~~ a great piece of the Prophets work in all thm dark Prophec1e~ co comfort Gods people, and chis is the will of God concermng us: and Lo here a great argument of comfort. Though our Lord be not yet come into our houfe, yet he is under the "''~· The leJrne~ Mer"r interpreting my Text, baulks all the nouJnS of the WaD which I before hinted to you, and by it under!iands propinqrmm Cbrifti auxilmm, the nearne[s ofChrills help. The Church_es waU (faith he) are the Promifes, and the comforts ol the Smpture, by which the Church (as with a wa~l ) fortifieth, and defendetl1 her [elf in the hour of the Crofs, tn the day of Temptauon : and behind this waU Chri!l !lands ready to help : It is indeed fad to a Church and to a Soul that Chrifi is not in the houfe, in the b'ofome ofi;, but when this is its mifery, this again is its comfort that he is not afar off: he is where he fees and kows its !late ancl' co;;-dition; it hath then Promifes, fure Promifes to help and to defend it : and Chrifi is, behind thofe Promifes , they are all Yea, and Amen; in him, and they fhall have a Yea, and Amen from him. Let therefore the faithful Saints and Servants of God lift up their heads in every dark condition. Let them remember that they have a wall of Promifes at all times to fecure them, and that Chrifl is behind that wall to fecure it. I 2. Secondly, ''tis bu1 awaMthathinders.Chrift and yoN ,from meeting: (I leave now Mrrcert notion of a WaU.) I fay it is but a .. .. u that hinders, therefore be of good comtort. It is not s Rock that is impregnable, 'tis but a ... u. A wall is made up you know of Earth, or Brick, or Stone, or fame fuch kind of matter which is corruptible, and penetrable, and will fall one day, and may fall by ufe of means before it decays of it [elf. What is this wall that hinders Chrill and his Church, Chrifi and the Souls of his Saints from their fullefi Uberties and freefi,i'.njoyments? be it what it will, being but a Wall it is not like to be eternal. 1. Is It a wall of fin and corruption ? E[ay 59• ~. Your fint have fep~ratrd bttll'ixt your God nd you ; penitential tears wil~ wafh it ,!!own, or thole with the bioud of Chrill will do it, and ll'ake it lo that thy Beloved,that is like a Roe & ayoHng Hort,will ~afily leap over this G _g • WaD. |
